Communications Pyramid

Effect of advertising on consumers: movement from awareness to action various steps in the Lavidge and Steiner hierarchy of effects model as the consumer moves from awareness to purchase, along with examples of types of promotion or advertising relevant to each step.

Communications Effects Pyramid Advertising and promotion perform communications tasks in the same way that a pyramid is built, by first accomplishing lower-level objectives such as awareness and knowledge or comprehension. Subsequent tasks involve moving consumers who are aware of or knowledgeable about the product or service to higher levels in the pyramid. The initial stages, at the base of the pyramid, are easier to accomplish than those toward the top, such as trial and repurchase or regular use. Thus, the percentage of prospective customers will decline as they move up the pyramid. The figure shows how a company introducing a new brand of shampoo targeted at 18- to 34-year-old females might set its IMC objectives using the communications effects pyramid.

Advertising Pyramid

The communications pyramid can also be used to determine promotional objectives for an established brand. The promotional planner must determine where the target audience lies with respect to the various blocks in the pyramid. If awareness levels for a brand and knowledge of its features and benefits are low, the communications objective should be to increase them. If these blocks of the pyramid are already in place, but liking or preference is low, the advertising goal may be to change the target markets' image of the brand and move consumers through to purchase.

Problems with Communications Objectives Not all marketing and advertising managers accept communications objectives; some say it is too difficult to translate a sales goal into a specific communications objective. But at some point a sales goal must be transformed into a communications objective. If the marketing plan for an established brand has as an objective of increasing sales by 10 percent, the promotional planner will eventually have to think in terms of the message that will be communicated to the target audience to achieve this. Possible objectives include the following:

  • Increasing the percentage of consumers in the target market who associate specific features, benefits, or advantages with our brand.
  • Increasing the number of consumers in the target audience who prefer our product over the competition's.
  • Encouraging current users of the product to use it more frequently or in more situations.
  • Encouraging consumers who have never used our brand to try it.

Continue reading here: Characteristics of Objectives

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Readers' Questions

  • tuija
    What part of imc pyramid offrs limited time deals?
    8 months ago
  • The Promotions level of the IMC pyramid offers limited-time deals, such as discounts and special offers.
    • iggi
      Which of the following is not a step in the hierarchy of effects?
      1 year ago
    • Influencing The hierarchy of effects model is a five-stage process of consumer choice. The steps in the hierarchy of effects are Awareness, Interest, Evaluation, Trial, and Adoption.
      • Kenneth
        Which of the following is not part of the Pyramid of Communication?
        1 year ago
      • The following are the parts of the Pyramid of Communication:
        1. Intrapersonal communication: Communication that occurs within an individual, involving their thoughts, perceptions, and self-talk.
        2. Interpersonal communication: Communication between two or more individuals, involving the exchange of messages, ideas, and information.
        3. Group communication: Communication that occurs within a small group or team, involving the interaction and collaboration of multiple individuals towards a common goal.
        4. Public communication: Communication that takes place in a public or large-scale setting, such as public speaking or mass media communication.
        5. Therefore, the option "Individual communication" is not part of the Pyramid of Communication.
        • pam brown
          Which of the following is at the foundational​ (lowest) level of the IMC​ pyramid?
          1 year ago
        • Advertising
          • EDDA
            Which of the following is at the base of the communication effects pyramid?
            1 year ago
          • The message.
            • JUSTIINA
              Why use communication effect pyramid as objective?
              1 year ago
            • The Communication Effect Pyramid is a useful tool for helping organizations set objectives for their communication. It helps them determine the desired outcome of their communication efforts and what actions need to be taken to reach that outcome. The pyramid is composed of five different levels, each with its own specific purpose. By working backwards from the desired objective, the communication strategist can develop a plan to reach it. At the bottom of the pyramid, steps are taken to reach the audience, while at the top, the desired outcome is achieved. This helps ensure that all communication efforts are focused on achieving the organization’s overall objectives.
              • Stanley
                How would you set objectives by using the communications effectpyramid?
                1 year ago
              • The Communications Effectiveness Pyramid is a tool used to help organizations set effective communication objectives. The pyramid breaks communication objectives down into four levels: Educational, Behavioral, Attitudinal, and Financial. Educational: Establish objectives that focus on teaching and informing your target audience, such as increasing awareness of a product or service, providing basic information about a topic, or giving an introduction to a new concept. Behavioral: Establish objectives that focus on motivating and inspiring action, such as influencing people to take a specific action, increasing the frequency of a behavior, or decreasing the occurrence of a behavior. Attitudinal: Establish objectives that focus on changing or reinforcing people’s beliefs, such as impacting people’s opinions of a company or product, changing long-term beliefs, or reinforcing existing opinions. Financial: Establish objectives that focus on achieving tangible, immediate results such as increasing sales, reducing costs, or generating leads or referrals.
                • Marmaduke
                  What are the steps in brand communication pyramid?
                  1 year ago
                  1. Awareness: The first step in any brand communication strategy is to build awareness of the brand and its products or services.
                  2. Interest: Once the brand has been made aware to the target audience, the next step is to generate interest by creating an emotional connection.
                  3. Trial and Retention: This third step focuses on creating loyalty and ongoing relationships with customers through trial offers and incentives, promotional activities and loyalty programs.
                  4. Expansion and Growth: The fourth step is to expand the brand’s reach by introducing new products and services, and by building relationships with new audiences through marketing, public relations and other communication channels.
                  5. Advocacy: The final step of the pyramid is to generate customer advocacy, encouraging customers to share their experiences, reviews and recommendations of the brand.
                  • tobias
                    What is advertising media?
                    1 year ago
                  • Advertising media refers to any means by which an advertiser can reach and influence their target audience. This can include traditional methods such as television, radio, print, and billboards, as well as more modern methods such as online display ads, social media, search engine marketing, and mobile advertising.
                    • Hiewan
                      What is communications effect pyramid?
                      1 year ago
                    • The Communications Effect Pyramid is a model used to explain how different types of communication strategies interact and work together to produce desired results. The pyramid consists of five layers, each building on the one before. The layers are: Reach, Impact, Change, Outcome, and Evaluation. At the base of the pyramid is Reach, which focuses on reaching the target audience with a message. Impact focuses on how effective the message is in terms of influencing the audience’s thoughts, feelings, and behaviors. Change looks at how to translate the influence of the message into an actual action. Outcome measures the desired outcome of the communication. Finally, Evaluation assesses how effective the communication was at achieving the desired result. Together, the different layers of the Communications Effect Pyramid work together to create a comprehensive strategy that can be used to measure, optimize, and track the success of a communication initiative.
                      • segan
                        How much must awareness increase to increase trial by 5% communication effects pyramid?
                        1 year ago
                      • It is impossible to answer this question without more information, such as the current level of awareness and the effectiveness of the communication strategy. Additionally, it would be helpful to know the current level of trial and the desired level of trial.
                        • Goldilocks Bracegirdle
                          Which of the following is at the top of the communication effects pyramid?
                          1 year ago
                        • The most influential level of the communication effects pyramid is the behavioral level. At this level, people are actually changing behaviors. This is the highest level of influence and it can have the greatest long-term impact.
                          • gebre
                            What is a communication objective pyramid?
                            1 year ago
                          • A communication objective pyramid is a visual tool used to organize and prioritize what should be communicated to an audience. Typically, the pyramid is arranged in tiers with the most important objectives at the top and the least important objectives at the bottom. This helps communicators focus on the most important messages and ensures those messages are communicated clearly and effectively.